By Jeremy Couso
For 85 continuous years the brilliant neon marquee at the Sierra Theatre has been burning bright, announcing everything from hit movies to community events, fundraisers, musical performances and video dance parties at the crest of Susanville’s Main Street. The theatre has been a part of so many people’s lives over the years that it is hard to imagine our town without it.
It’s the theatre where I saw a movie for the first time (Pete’s Dragon, 1977) and where I have seen every single Star Wars film since 1977. It is a part of our town in a unique way, well-preserved and still serving a purpose after 85 years.
From the moment on March 8th, 1935 when the house lights came down and “The Whole Town is Talking” began to play, the Sierra Theatre has been an honest-to-goodness institution for generation after generation of Susanville residents.
When the theatre opened in 1935 there were 400 seats downstairs and 150 seats in the balcony. From that point the building and the operation were mostly unchanged for nearly 50 years. The theatre was day care for the little ones, a hang-out for teenagers, entertainment for families and was lodged firmly into our collective Susanville conscious. Ask people who moved away from Susanville 5o-years ago and they will still wax poetic reminiscing about the theatre and the good times they had there.
Mike and Carolyn Smith, who have owned the theatre since 1981, made massive changes to the building when they purchased it – moving walls, fixing antiquated plumbing, adding a working furnace, installing new carpet and soundproofing. The Smiths moved the ticket booth inside, turned the upstairs balcony into a second showroom and completed the renovation with new screens and a new sound system.
In the last 40 years, while other small-town theatres wasted away and were lost to communities all over the country, the Sierra Theatre has always remained state of the art. Digital projection, 3D, gorgeous sound, comfy seats. A gem among movie theatres.
The Smiths even expanded their operation to include four new theatres in the Uptown Cinemas, completely remodeling Susanville’s closed JC Penney store at the corner of Main and North Roop streets so that they could show more movies on a weekly basis.
A lot of small towns just don’t have this anymore. Many smaller, rural communities never get first-run movies, don’t get to see the lesser known releases – we are lucky to have such an awesome place to go for our favorite movies.
Today the Sierra Theatre and Uptown Cinemas remain open 365 days a year, with daily matinees and special events all year round.
Celebrating the Milestone
To celebrate the Sierra Theatre’s 85th birthday there will be special showings of the classic Edward G. Robinson comedy, “The Whole Town is Talking” all week long. The very first movie that ever played on the theatre’s screen!
In the movie Edward G. Robinson plays an ordinary guy named Arthur Jones who leads a boring life in which nothing ever happens. He oversleeps and is fired from his job, then he is mistaken for an evil criminal killer who looks just like him and he is arrested.
Because Jones looks so much like the villain the police give him a special pass so he won’t be arrested again and the real murderer tries to steal the pass from him.
It’s a funny movie and ought to look awesome on the big screen this week.
There are daily showings of “The Whole Town’s Talking” at 7:00pm from tonight, February 28th, through March 5th and matinee performances will play Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 and Monday through Friday at 4:30. Admission is absolutely free and there will be drawings for free movie passes at every showing.
Everyone is invited to come step back in time and see what 1935 looks like on the big screen in an awesome 85-year old theatre. See you there!
